Cancer is the second major leading cause of death in the U.S. Compared with non-Hispanic Caucasians, African-Americans have aboyt 10% higher incidence rates of most cancer sites, experience no less than 20% higher cancer mortality rates, and have the least favorable survival rates. Hispanic Americans have approximately the same survival rates from cancers as Whites, but with 25 per cent lower incidence rates. In marked contrast, Native Americans have only 50 - and 33 - percent respectively of the incidence and survival rates of all cancers, compared with Whites. Dietary practices and nutritional status feature prominently among the many important interacting factors that influence the health of minority populations in this country. Current estimates implicate diet and nutrition in the causation of at least 30 - 35% of human cancers. It is therefore possible that the striking differences in cancer prevalence among the various racial/ethnic groups in the U.S. may derive mainly from these factors. Rigorous analysis of these differences in relation to food habits is the major objective of this workshop. In 1986, Meharry Medical College, a historically black, private health institution established a Center for Nutrition with a conceptual focus addressing mainly, but not exclusively, the major nutrition-related health problems in Blacks and other underserved minorities in the U.S. The first annual nutrition workshop in 1987 examined the "Impact of Nutrition on Health and Disease in Blacks and Other Minorities." The workshops in subsequent years deliberated on the themes "Nutrition and Hypertension" and "Functional Significance of Iron Deficiency," with special emphasis on the racial minorities. The proposed fourth annual workshop will not only discuss the correlations between food habits and some highly prevalent cancer sites, but more importantly, will critically explore dietary modifications potentially capable of decreasing the risk for cancers. The positive interactions among recognized scientists from various relevant disciplines and with the Meharry Medical College community, will provide new stimuli and insights for further investigations into the complex relationship between human life-style and cancer.